London Map for John Le Carré

Mike Hall was recently commissioned by Penguin Books to illustrate a map of London to celebrate the publication of a new spy novel by John le Carré. It depicts scenes and locations mentioned in le Carré's earlier books that feature the character George Smiley as the protagonist, including Smiley's People, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. The map was featured online and made available as a fold-out leaflet from Waterstones bookshops.

A small, sketchy illustration represents each scene and these include fictional places such George Smiley's Chelsea home and the headquarters of the British Intelligence Services, and real places such as Paddington Station and Hampstead Heath. In keeping with the mid-twentieth century Cold War period in which le Carré's books are set, the map was designed to resemble one from the 1960s, using retro shades of orange and blue and Gills Sans lettering inspired by classic Penguin paperback book covers.